Self-consistent modeling of microwave activated N2/CH4/H2 (and N2/H2) plasmas relevant to diamond chemical vapour deposition

Michael N R Ashfold; Yuri A Mankelevich

doi:10.1088/1361-6595/ac409e

Self-consistent modeling of microwave activated N₂/CH₄/H₂ (and N₂/H₂) plasmas relevant to diamond chemical vapour deposition

Michael N R Ashfold^*, Yuri A Mankelevich^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

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Abstract

The growth rate of diamond by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) from microwave (MW) plasma activated CH4/H2 gas mixtures can be significantly enhanced by adding trace quantities of N2 to the process gas mixture. Reasons for this increase remain unclear. The present article reports new, self-consistent two-dimensional modelling of MW activated N2/H2 and N2/CH4/H2 plasmas operating at pressures and powers relevant to contemporary diamond CVD, the results of which are compared and tensioned against available experimental data. The enhanced N/C/H plasma chemical modelling reveals the very limited reactivity of N2 under typical processing conditions and the dominance of N atoms amongst the dilute 'soup' of potentially reactive N-containing species incident on the growing diamond surface. Ways in which these various N-containing species may enhance growth rates are also discussed.

Original language	English
Article number	035005
Number of pages	22
Journal	Plasma Sources Science and Technology
Volume	31
Issue number	3
Early online date	7 Dec 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ac409e
Publication status	Published - 7 Mar 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
MNRA is grateful to many past research group members who helped in gathering the experimental data against which the current self-consistent 2D model outputs are tensioned. YuAM acknowledges support from RFBR for Grant No. 19-08-01250. The work was performed within the Cooperation in Science and Technology Agreement between Lomonosov Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, and the University of Bristol.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

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title = "Self-consistent modeling of microwave activated N2/CH4/H2 (and N2/H2) plasmas relevant to diamond chemical vapour deposition",

abstract = "The growth rate of diamond by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) from microwave (MW) plasma activated CH4/H2 gas mixtures can be significantly enhanced by adding trace quantities of N2 to the process gas mixture. Reasons for this increase remain unclear. The present article reports new, self-consistent two-dimensional modelling of MW activated N2/H2 and N2/CH4/H2 plasmas operating at pressures and powers relevant to contemporary diamond CVD, the results of which are compared and tensioned against available experimental data. The enhanced N/C/H plasma chemical modelling reveals the very limited reactivity of N2 under typical processing conditions and the dominance of N atoms amongst the dilute 'soup' of potentially reactive N-containing species incident on the growing diamond surface. Ways in which these various N-containing species may enhance growth rates are also discussed.",

author = "Ashfold, {Michael N R} and Mankelevich, {Yuri A}",

note = "Funding Information: MNRA is grateful to many past research group members who helped in gathering the experimental data against which the current self-consistent 2D model outputs are tensioned. YuAM acknowledges support from RFBR for Grant No. 19-08-01250. The work was performed within the Cooperation in Science and Technology Agreement between Lomonosov Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, and the University of Bristol. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.",

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N1 - Funding Information: MNRA is grateful to many past research group members who helped in gathering the experimental data against which the current self-consistent 2D model outputs are tensioned. YuAM acknowledges support from RFBR for Grant No. 19-08-01250. The work was performed within the Cooperation in Science and Technology Agreement between Lomonosov Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, and the University of Bristol. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

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N2 - The growth rate of diamond by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) from microwave (MW) plasma activated CH4/H2 gas mixtures can be significantly enhanced by adding trace quantities of N2 to the process gas mixture. Reasons for this increase remain unclear. The present article reports new, self-consistent two-dimensional modelling of MW activated N2/H2 and N2/CH4/H2 plasmas operating at pressures and powers relevant to contemporary diamond CVD, the results of which are compared and tensioned against available experimental data. The enhanced N/C/H plasma chemical modelling reveals the very limited reactivity of N2 under typical processing conditions and the dominance of N atoms amongst the dilute 'soup' of potentially reactive N-containing species incident on the growing diamond surface. Ways in which these various N-containing species may enhance growth rates are also discussed.

AB - The growth rate of diamond by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) from microwave (MW) plasma activated CH4/H2 gas mixtures can be significantly enhanced by adding trace quantities of N2 to the process gas mixture. Reasons for this increase remain unclear. The present article reports new, self-consistent two-dimensional modelling of MW activated N2/H2 and N2/CH4/H2 plasmas operating at pressures and powers relevant to contemporary diamond CVD, the results of which are compared and tensioned against available experimental data. The enhanced N/C/H plasma chemical modelling reveals the very limited reactivity of N2 under typical processing conditions and the dominance of N atoms amongst the dilute 'soup' of potentially reactive N-containing species incident on the growing diamond surface. Ways in which these various N-containing species may enhance growth rates are also discussed.

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